Trump’s Plane Diplomacy Comes to NY as Leaders Arrive for UN
Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg, from left, US President Donald Trump and Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani at a deal-signing ceremony in Doha in May.
(Bloomberg) — Back-to-back aircraft orders are typically the domain of expos held in Paris, Dubai or Singapore. But this week, Washington and New York stand to become the surprise venues of major deals.
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The US capital city and its commerce hub to the north will see an inflow of global leaders in coming days as part of the United Nations General Assembly. It’s an opportunity to discuss political, environmental and social crises, but also a time for economic statecraft — that unique blend of dealmaking and diplomacy that’s become a hallmark of President Donald Trump’s second term.
Transactions involving Boeing Co. are by now a common feature of Trump’s visits with foreign leaders. In recent months, Trump has taken credit for getting major purchases over the line, from British Airways buying US-made jets to Qatar placing the biggest widebody order in Boeing’s history.
Through August, the US planemaker had secured 725 aircraft sales in 2025, versus 600 for Airbus SE — putting Boeing on track to outperform its European rival for the first full year since 2021.
Leaders gathering in New York this week or stopping by in Washington are seeking to replicate that formula — currying favor with Trump, an outspoken aircraft aficionado, while upgrading their home country’s fleets. Among these is Turkey, which could order as many as 250 commercial jets from Boeing, Bloomberg News reported last week. The deal, long in the works, has been held up for the right photo op including Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Trump himself has said he’d host Erdogan in Washington on Sept. 25, and that deals on trade and defense would include “the large scale purchase of Boeing aircraft,” alongside fighter jets made by Lockheed Martin Corp. Negotiations are still ongoing for the various deals, and the final contours may change, people familiar with the talks said at the time, asking not to be identified discussing private deliberations.
On Monday, Uzbekistan Airways, with the country’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev in attendance, announced an order for as many as 22 of the US planemaker’s 787 Dreamliner jets, the largest-ever order in the airline’s history, according to a statement.
Soon after the announcement, Trump lauded the purchase in a post on Truth Social, calling it “a great deal with Boeing,” referring to Mirziyoyev as a “man of his word.”
Other dignitaries seeking Trump’s attention and support may also sign aircraft orders. Morocco’s Royal Air Maroc has been evaluating bids from Airbus and Boeing for dozens of jets. The state-owned airline’s fleet leans heavily on the US manufacturer for larger aircraft, giving Boeing a good shot at closing a sizable deal.
Trump also announced that Indonesia would buy 50 Boeing jets when the country agreed to a trade deal in July, although few details were disclosed. Flag carrier Garuda Indonesia has been working on a possible order for 50 Boeing 737 Max jets that could be announced this week, according to people familiar with the matter who asked not to be identified discussing confidential talks. Another person urged caution, saying the timing may slip.
A Boeing spokesman deferred to the airlines for comment.
Trump has flagged trade deficits as one justification for seeking to rewire the global flow of goods through tariffs. But the US still commands a major trade surplus when it comes to aviation, given the vital roles played by Boeing, General Electric Co. and other key manufacturers.
Airbus has watched with envy as Trump champions Boeing products, vowing to redouble its own sales efforts in response.
Besides the UK and Qatar, Trump has claimed credit for the purchase of Boeing 737 Max jets by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund. Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Airways confirmed an order for 28 787 and 777X widebody aircraft in May during Trump’s state visit, which Washington valued at $14.5 billion.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and US President Donald Trump in July.Photographer: Jane Barlow/WPA Pool/Getty Images
Some deals, however, are tentative, while others have been restructured versions of previous agreements, or reaffirmations of a prior commitment. Given the complexity of large-scale orders, negotiations have often been underway long before Trump returned to the White House — though he can still take credit for closing the sale, using the ultimate leverage that is the power of the US President.
Meanwhile, massive backlogs and sluggish production at both Boeing and Airbus mean new orders will provide limited near-term lift. For the popular Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 models, sales booked today won’t translate into deliveries until early next decade.
Wait times for widebody aircraft like the Boeing 787 are similarly long, meaning any handovers would only occur long after Trump has vacated the White House.
The one big aircraft order that’s been elusive is from China, where Boeing is seeking to end a sales drought that stretches back to Trump’s last visit in 2017. The country’s carriers are looking to buy as many as 500 aircraft, Bloomberg News reported in August, though trade tensions between the two superpowers have held up an accord.
Trump held a call with Chinese President Xi Jinping last week, and he said he’d meet his counterpart during the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in South Korea. It will be their first in-person meeting since the 2019 G20 Summit in Japan — giving Trump another opportunity to double as a Boeing salesman.
The US and China are weeks away from finalizing negotiations on a “huge” Boeing order, US Ambassador to China David Perdue said Tuesday.
“This is a huge order, and it’s very important to the president,” he said.
–With assistance from Danny Lee.
(Updates with status of talks with China in final two paragraphs)
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